‘Pretty Little Liar’s star defends GQ photoshop photos

“Pretty Little Liars” star Troian Bellisario star is defending editors’ use of photoshop in a new GQ magazine bikini shoot following criticism the snaps have been drastically retouched.

The actress and her co-stars Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale and Shay Mitchell are all featured poolside in swimwear in the upcoming June issue of the publication, and a handful of the shots have been released online.

The photos immediately upset some fans, who have criticized GQ editors for digitally manipulating the shots so much that the castmates are almost unrecognizable.

But 28-year-old Bellisario took to her Instagram.com account on Wednesday to not only acknowledge the use of photoshop, but defend it as well.

She wrote, “So by now you have seen many a shot from #GQ and many people have said that we were photoshopped… OF COURSE WE WERE! that’s a very specific type of photo shoot. And looking very blown out and perfected was obviously what they were looking for. Great. Cool. As long as we acknowledge how it was achieved so we know it’s not real.”

Bellisario also posted behind-the-scenes pictures from the shoot, eager to show what her body looks like without the digital enhancement.

She continued, “Here’s some behind the scenes of my body the way it is and was on the day. I’m not mad at how these pictures turned out, the girls and I had an absolute blast.

“But it’s the same everywhere. It’s the same way on the posters of our show and even in women’s magazines. This industry seems to invest more in perfection than in flaw… I’m proud of my body and the way it looks… but my hips and thighs are a part of me (even though they magically weren’t in some shots!) I get those things from my momma. And I’m happy To shake what my momma gave me.”

Benson took issue with excessive retouching on an ad for “Pretty Little Liars” earlier this year, noting the “faces in this were from 4 years ago… and we all look ridiculous. Way too much photo shop. We all have flaws. No one looks like this. It’s not attractive.”